Curated OER
Characteristics of Matter
Learners study matter. In this science lesson plan, students examine the relationships among gravity, weight, and mass, the metric measurement of distance and volume, and density and its application to physical properties.
Curated OER
Chemical Changes
Fourth graders examine and identify chemical and physical changes in a variety of substances. They observe a vinegar and baking soda demonstration, and a water, laundry detergent, and Epsom salt mixture demonstration. They discuss the...
Curated OER
Walking the Trail of Tears
Learners, through the use of examining video clips and Websites, become familiar with the reasons that the settlers wanted the land, broke treaties, and initiated the Indian Removal Act leading to the Trail of Tears.
American Chemical Society
Matter on the Move
Start this mini unit on matter out by demonstrating how food coloring behaves when placed in cold and in hot water. Then have the class experiment with warm water and soap film. Pupils will learn that an increase in thermal energy also...
Curated OER
Figure of Speech
Examine the changing nature of language in the U.S. View and discuss excerpts from a PBS documentary with your class and then conduct Internet research, and complete a team project on the evolution of teen expressions.
Curated OER
Ego Trip- Exploring the Inner Workings of the Human Body
Students gain an understanding of how systems and organs in the human body work. They create their own fictional account of a trip through the human body, and describe one response the body makes to stimuli.
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Determining the Density of a Liquid
Students find the density of diet soda and regular soda. In this density lesson plan, students measure the mass of a graduated cylinder with 10 different volumes of each soda. They find the mass of the liquid alone and use the volume to...
Curated OER
Experimenting with Physical Changes
Fourth graders explore physical changes. They discuss that physical change is a change in size, shape, or state of matter of a substance. Students explore what change takes place when two substances can dissolve each other. They observe...
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Heat and Matter
Students explore liquids and solids by conducting in class experiments. In this matter activity, students define the properties of matter and how heat can change those properties. Students experiment with heating objects such as butter...
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Changing States of Matter
In this recognizing how states of matter change worksheet, students use words from the word bank to fill in the missing words to describe how water changes to steam and ice and how steam and ice change to form water. Students complete 4...
Curated OER
Evaporation Inquiry
The evaporation of water and what happens to it as it travels through the water cycle are the focuses of this lesson. The evaporation of water seems like a "magical" process to people of all ages. This lesson takes away the mystery, and...
Concord Consortium
Charged and Neutral Atoms
Do charged and neutral particles behave differently as they undergo phase changes? Science sleuths examine two types of attractive forces using an informative interactive. Pupils can vary the amount of Van der Waals attraction present...
PBS
Lesson Plan: “Seeing the Way: A Brief History of Cataract Surgery”
After looking at the history of cataract surgery techniques, your high schoolers will have a new perspective on medical and scientific advances. Kids alternate between watching short video clips, class discussion, and computer research....
Curated OER
What in the World is Matter?
How does matter change and what are its properties? This presentation is a bit scattered and attempts to infuse humor in place of concrete definitions. In order to make this worthwhile for classroom use, you will need to add to it.
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Comparison of Juan Bautista de Anza and George Washington
Fifth graders discover that Anza and Washington lived at the same time but on opposite sides of the American Continent. They identify differences and similarities in their lives. They present the data in an illustrated time line
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What is Matter?
Students investigate what matter is and how it changes states. For this physical properties lesson, students examine the vocabulary database and identify the characteristics of the three phases of matter. Students perform a...
Curated OER
Cool Stuff
Young scientists must place a check mark next to the answer they think is correct regarding things that are warm, cool, hard, and soft. This would be a good way to begin discussing how some things actually change states of matter...
Curated OER
The Same, But Different
Third graders examine the phase change between solids and liquids and determine it to be a physical change. Ice is the perfect item to use to demonstrate this phase change. Pupils experiment with measuring and weighing solid ice and the...
Curated OER
The Same, But Different Part II
Learners characterize a physical change as something that changes to a different size, but retains its basic substance. They measure volumes using milliliters, and perform an experiment that proves that gases expand when hot and contract...
Curated OER
Ice Cream in a Bag
Students observe phase change of matter by making ice cream in bags. In this states of matter instructional activity, students work in pairs to churn their own ice cream in plastic bags. They make predictions about how long it will take...
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Non-Newtonian Fluids
Students will use water, cornstarch, eggs, and more to explore the different states of matter. They will make observations of an unknown substance called "Oobleck" and test its liquid and solid properties. This would be a great lesson to...
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Boot Reer Root Beer
Fifth graders investigate chemical reactions. In this physical science activity, 5th graders make dry ice root beer and identify the type of change that occurs to the root beer mixture.
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Water and Ice
Students perform experiments in pairs to visualize the changes in water during freezing and melting. In this properties of water lesson plan, students use their senses and inquiry tools to understand the changes in state of water....
Curated OER
It's a Matter of Change
Learners watch a video on matter and identify examples of solids, liquids and gases in the classroom. They discuss the attributes for each kind of matter and conduct an experiment to explore how matter can change form.